No Wound Left Unturned: Mars Retrograde in Scorpio.

“There is no greater battle in life than the battle between the parts of you that want to be healed and the parts of you that are content remaining broken.” ~ Iyanla Vanzant

The battle began on May 27th, when the planet Mars, while retrograde, ingressed the sign of Scorpio. A planet that is retrograde gives the illusion of orbiting the Sun backwards. When this occurs, we earthlings are forced to internalize the energy of that planet, as external events are put on hold.

Mars was the god of war in Roman mythology, so in Astrology, this planet rules action, assertion, and self-initiation.

Mars reveals to us how we use our energy to get things done, and when he does a backspin (which happens once every two years), we become enmeshed in deep conflicts. Inner battles of will disrupt a once manageable existence. Our movements are blocked. Productivity seems futile.

With Mars in Scorpio, the battle is formidable. Concerned with death and transformation, only a Scorpio will endure discomfort, pain, and the agony of change before it is reborn. Scorpio’s birthright is to rise like the Phoenix. But first, the Scorpion must allow its own ego drives for control to be released and purged.

Remnants that remain serve as fodder for cleansing and renewal. Only then can a Scorpio’s true essence be rebuilt upon more solid foundations.

When Mars first stationed retrograde on April 17th in the sign of Sagittarius — the sign of truth — we were forced to identify which truths no longer reflected the reality of our personal stories.

For Virgos, this might have manifested as domestic or emotional strife. For Pisceans, deep questioning around vocational aspirations ensued. For Leos, love and creativity may have been challenged.

Now that Mars is in Scorpio, we are being pushed to further investigate with more probing questions: What is the root of my insecurities around love? Why do I feel the need to distance myself from family? Should we do this work in earnest, certain truths may feel woefully inconvenient.

Mars in Scorpio, however, insists that we sit and rumble with our shit — no wound left unturned.

We can be willing participants in this exercise, embodying the courage of Mars to go there. Or like Scorpio, we can stay fixed in our resistance, while trying to manipulate this process of unfolding. Fixed resistance, however, will only force the hand of the Universe; like it or not, we must change.

The more we can show up as co-creators in our evolution, the easier it will be for us to simply evolve. This battle entails a fight to the death, so to speak. Your biggest adversary will be you.

This is why Astrology can be such a great navigational tool for life. Whatever is reaching critical mass — a job, a relationship, or a health matter — is exactly where your attention needs to be focused. If you notice an unwillingness to bend on your part, then that is where you are being challenged to surrender.

But your efforts at releasing control won’t end there; you will actually have to befriend the fears that grip you in order to dismantle them — Mars in Scorpio is sneaky that way. The intensity of these cosmic storms is sure to strip you completely bare. But when the dust settles, remnants of your former self can be planted as seeds for growth and healing.

Mars will be retrograde in the sign of Scorpio through June 30th.

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Tracey L. Rogers is an astrologer, life coach, activist, world traveler, lover of love and seeker of depth. She is also a Leo with a Virgo Ascendant, for those of you just dying to know. Her interests include music, spiritual topics and readings, as well as living room dance parties when she’s alone in her apartment. Meanwhile, Tracey is currently on the biggest quest of her life, which involves recognizing her inner light and letting it shine for the world. When she is not writing horoscopes or drinking cappuccinos, she is usually hanging out with her badass friends or at her local café. To find out more about Tracey and her work, you can visit her website; you can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.